Multi-use swing apparatus

ABSTRACT

A swing apparatus that can be used in many different configurations includes a &#34;seat&#34; portion for supporting a child or other user for swinging travel in a selective variety of paths. The swing includes a frame which supports the seat by one or more flexible or rigid support links for movement in a plurality of paths. The links can be selectively connected to a number of different suspension points on the frame and, similarly, on a number of different connection points on the seat to provide many different configuration or uses to provide multiple paths of travel for the seat.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to a child's riding device for one ormore children, and more particularly to a multi-use swing that isconnectable to a frame in a number of different configurations tooscillate through various paths.

2. Prior Art

Simple swings have been used for many years and are particularly enjoyedby children of all ages. More complicated swings having more than theconventional two suspension lines have also been used by adults as, forexample, the traditional "porch swing".

Swings which are capable of relatively intricate maneuvers andoscillations are also known in the prior art. For example, Williams U.S.Pat. No. 2,325,456 describes a swing which comprises a horizontal barsuspended at spaced apart ends by an outwardly disposed chain. The baris swingable both endwise and sideways to produce a combination ofupward and sideways twists similar to the movement of a bucking bronco.It is common knowledge that with the urbanization and the resultantdecrease in farmland, children have fewer and fewer opportunities forphysical exercise, muscular development, and coordination development.Operators of children's playgrounds have also noted the scarcity ofavailable equipment which is at the same time both safe and enjoyablefor use by children.

However, no prior art swings have the flexibility and features whichallows the user to be creative and develop their own uses. The needexists for a flexible swing for both home use and playground equipmentthat can be simply and inexpensively constructed which will furnish bothyounger and older children exercise, exciting play, and opportunitiesfor physical development.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

It is the object of the present invention to provide a novel swing forchildren.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a swing withmultiple options and uses provided by a plurality of suspension linksthat can be selected by the user to oscillate through many differentpaths of travel.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a swing that canbe operated safely without contacting structures.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a swing that maybe simultaneously used by more than one person.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a swing which issimple in design, inexpensive to manufacture, rugged in construction,easy to use and efficient in operation.

Satisfaction of these objects in accordance with the spirit of thisinvention a multi-use swing is herein provided that is simultaneouslyswingable, tilting and/or rotatable and may be used by more than oneperson if desired. As will be understood in connection with thedisclosure herein, the swing provides a seat which can be used by one ormore persons to rotate, travel in a figure "eight" path, travel in aconventional to and fro oscillation as well as additionalconfigurations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the swing of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the seat portion of the swing of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one embodiment of one of the suspensionlinks of the swing of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a vertical section of a portion of the attachment means forthe swing of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the suspension platform of the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic representation of a number of possibleconnections between the seat and the support platform; and

FIG. 7 is a rigid yoke for connection to the ends of the seat of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of the swing contemplated by thepresent invention, generally designated 10. In this embodiment, theswing includes a frame 12, a support platform 14, a base or lower plate15 and a pair of stabilizers 16 to prevent the swing from overturning. Aseat 20 is supported from the platform 14 by a plurality of suspensionlinks 22. The frame 12 includes a ladder element 16 on at least one end.The frame includes a pair of substantially vertical more inwardly tiltedposts 24 on each end and a pair of horizontal post elements 28 connectedto the upper ends of the post 24. A plurality of ladder rungs 30 betweenthe posts 24 on one end enable the user to climb up onto the top of thesupport platform 14 as described hereinafter. A pair of hand rails 34 orsupports are provided for added safety.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a slide 40 isconnected on one end of the frame 12 to provide a playful exit from theplatform 13. In this form of the invention, it is not be necessary toinclude the ladder rungs at the end which incorporate the slide becauseaccess would be had by climbing the ladder 16 at the opposite end of theframe 12.

In an alternative embodiment, the frame 12 may be connected to aconventional "swing-set" at right angles thereto.

Referring to FIG. 2, the seat 20 may take various shapes but is shownhere to be generally oval or rounded in shape, being substantiallylonger in the longitudinal direction of the swing as mounted in FIG. 1.Preferably, the seat is made of a durable, soft, resilient fabric suchas vinyl or the like which is easily and readily cleaned. The seat 20may be formed of a top panel 42, and a bottom panel 44 46 which are sewntogether at the seams 50 and filled with a semi-rigid, flexiblematerial, like foam rubber or the like. Although the seat portion 20 maybe rigid, for safety reasons flexibility is desirable. The seat 20 alsoincludes a plurality of circumferential handles 52 to be used as holdingpoints for the user. Referring to FIG. 4, the support platform 14includes a plurality of eye bolts 56a-56g which are secured throughapertures in the platform 14 by nuts 58 and washers 60. In the preferredembodiment, the support platform has at least seven eyes labeled 56a-56gwhich are laid out in the pattern as shown in the bottom plan view ofFIG. 5. In the preferred embodiment, the central eye bolts 56g and 57 inthe top and bottom supports is releasably, rotatably mounted by alockable thrust bearing 59.

The eye bolts 56a-g are connected by a varying plurality of suspensionlinks 22 to the connection points on the seat. The suspension links 22,as shown in FIG. 3, each include a clip 64 at the top end connected by aflexible fabric-type strap or strand 66 to a connector, generallydesignated 70. The connector 70 is a conventional snap-on type plasticconnector having a male portion 72 and a female portion 74. In use, themale portion 72 is inserted into the female portion 74 and the prongelements 76 snap outwardly through the apertures 78 in the femaleportion to securely lock the connector together. A female connectorportion 74 is connected to the seat at positions a-h by a small strapportion 66 so it may hang free when not in use. This type of connectorallows for easy changeability for configurations of the varioussuspension links.

In the preferred embodiment, the female portions 74 are attached by astrap portion 66 directly to the seat portion 42 such as at the pointslabeled a, b and c. Similarly, connector portions 74 are connected atpoints d, e and f on the other side of the seat (not shown) and atpoints g and h at the opposite end of the seat 42.

The swing has the flexibility to be used in many different combinationsof suspension links 22 between the seat 20 and the supports 14 and 15.To facilitate movement of the hooks 64 between the eye-bolts 56, aplurality of access holes 60 permit access from the top. Six of theconnection combinations are shown schematically in FIG. 6 wherein eachpair represents the points that are connected between the eyes 56a-g onthe support platform 14 and the connection points a through h on theseat.

The top set is arranged with six support elements 22 so that it cansupport four or more people for group play. In this configuration, theeyes 56b and 56d are each connected to two points a and d and c and b onthe seat. The connection points a and d on the seat are connected bysupports 22 to the eye 56b on the support platform and similarly thepoints c and f are connected by a support 22 to the eye 56d. Therespective end eyes 56a and 56e are connected to the end points g and hon the seat. In this manner, several users can swing in a generallytraditional fashion and significantly can be supported by the sixsupports 22.

The next pair going down in FIG. 6 shows an arrangement where the seatis transverse with respect to the platform 24 and the points b and e onthe seat 42 are connected to the eyes 56b and 56d or 56a and 56e. Inthis setup, two children can use the swing as a "tilting board" orteeter totter which can pivot about the b e axis and also swing to andfro.

In a third form of the tilt board, if all of the supports 22 areconnected to the center eye-ring 56g, the users cannot only tilt, butcan rotate in a merry-go-round fashion about the central top support. Inthis case, the bearing 59 can be left free to permit rotation or lockedto a winding and then unwinding of the seat 20.

Moving down to the next pair, four supports 22 are used to connect theeyes 56b and 56d to the four connections a, c, d and f on the seatportion 22. The center support 56G is also connected to each end of theseat at G and H. In this setup, the seat will have much less or littleability to tilt back and forth because of the stability added by theadditional supports near the end connection points.

As an alternative, or fourth configuration, a rigid connection element80 such as that shown in FIG. 7, can be connected between the centraleye 56g and the end connection points g and h on the seat. With thisadditional rigid support 80, the arms 82 will engage the support 14 toprevent the swing from inadvertently traveling over the top of thesupport. This connection allows the seat to safely swing through a verylarge arc of travel.

The next configuration has six support links 22 connecting the centereye 56g to the points a, c, d, f, g and h on the seat. In addition, inthis configuration, the points g and h are connected by two additionalsupports to the eye 57 on the lower base or plate 15. In this fashion,the seat will remain essentially in a single plane but can be rotated ina round table or carousel fashion and be used as an ordinary carousel.

In another variant, the seat 22 may be supported in a verticalorientation as shown in the bottommost pair between the eye 56g and theend connection point g for swinging and rotating simultaneously. Two ormore persons can "hang on" to the handles 52 on the seat in thisconfiguration. Alternatively, the bottom point f on the seat can beconnected to the lower eye 57 to reduce the to and fro swinging actionwhile permitting rotation.

Obviously, with the present structure as described and with simplemodifications or additional connection points provided to the seat andthe upper and lower supports, many different types of motion can begenerated and therefore no unnecessary limitations should be understoodfrom the foregoing description as many modifications will be obvious tothose skilled in the art.

I claim:
 1. A flexible swing includes a support frame;a seat for one ormore users; a plurality of support links; a plurality of connectingmeans for connecting the support links to the frame; and a plurality ofconnection means on the seat for connection to the support links wherebya plurality of combinations of one or more suspension links between theframe and the seat provide for a large number of configurations and usesof the swing whereby the seat will travel in different paths.
 2. Theflexible swing of claim 1 wherein the suspension links are flexible. 3.The flexible swing of claim 2 wherein at least one of the suspensionlinks is rigid.
 4. The flexible swing of claim 1 wherein one end of eachsuspension link and the connection means on the seat comprises a quickrelease means to facilitate easy reconfiguration of the swing assembly.5. The flexible swing of claim 4 wherein at least one of the connectionmeans on the frame is rotatably mounted on the frame.
 6. The flexibleswing of claim 5 wherein said rotatable connection means is lockable ina predetermined position.
 7. The flexible swing of claim 6 including tworotatable connection means on the frame.
 8. A multi-use swing apparatusincludes a rigid support frame having a top and bottom support means;anelongated seat portion for multiple users;a plurality of support meansfor connecting the seat portion to the frame for relative movement; aplurality of first connecting means for connecting the support means tothe frame; and a plurality of second connection means on the seat forconnection to the support means whereby a plurality of combinations ofone or more suspension means between the frame and the seat portionprovide a large number of uses of the swing whereby the seat will travelin different paths.
 9. The multi-use swing apparatus of claim 8 whereinthe suspension means are flexible links.
 10. The multi-use swingapparatus of claim 8 wherein at least one of the suspension means isrigid.
 11. The multi-use swing apparatus of claim 8 wherein secondconnection means on the seat comprises a quick release means tofacilitate easy reconfiguration of the swing apparatus.
 12. Themulti-use swing apparatus of claim 11 wherein at least one of the firstconnection means on the frame is rotatably mounted on the frame.
 13. Themulti-use swing apparatus of claim 12 wherein said rotatable connectionmeans is lockable in a predetermined position.
 14. The multi-use swingapparatus of claim 13 including two rotatable connection means on theframe.
 15. A multi-use swing includes a stabilized support frame, a seatfor one or more users, a plurality of support links each having a firstand second end, a plurality of connectors on the first end of saidsupport limbs for connecting the support links to the frame; and aplurality of quick release connectors for connecting the second end ofthe support links to the seat whereby a plurality of combinations of oneor more suspension links between the frame and the seat provide for alarge number of configurations and uses of the swing whereby the seatwill travel in different paths.
 16. The multi-use swing of claim 15wherein the suspension means are flexible links.
 17. The multi-use swingof claim 15 wherein at least one of the suspension means is rigid. 18.The multi-use swing of claim 15 wherein the quick release connectorseach include a receptor on the seat for connection with a clip on thesecond ends of the support links which securely connect the support linkto the seat while permitting easy disconnection to facilitate easyreconfiguration of the swing assembly.
 19. The multi-use swing of claim15 wherein at least one of the connectors on the frame is rotatablymounted on the frame.
 20. The multi-use swing of claim 19 wherein saidrotatable connector is lockable in a predetermined position.
 21. Themulti-use swing of claim 20 including two rotatable connectors on theframe.